Light By Iris Photography

BETWEEN FRAMES — a one-day cinematic creative gathering. ✨
On September 19, Olesya from (Olesya Alferenko Photography) and I are hosting an intimate film-inspired retreat in Portland, OR for artists drawn to cinematic imagery, atmosphere, storytelling, and creating with more feeling.

We’ll begin the day in a romantic and light-filled home, and we’re going to do what filmmakers do — slow down and study the space, notice the light, observe the little details that make photographs feel alive. Together we’ll create through an intimate in-home family session and portrait exchange while openly talking through framing, emotion, and what we notice as we shoot.

Afternoon, we’ll head to the Oregon coast for a styled, romantic and film inspired couple session led by Olesya, followed by a slow dinner at a seaside town to end the day together.
This gathering is intentionally small and designed to feel immersive, thoughtful, inspiring, and deeply personal rather than rushed or overproduced.

If this speaks to something in you, save the date. 🤍

✨We’re also giving away ONE complimentary ticket to the gathering.
To enter on INSTAGRAM:
— follow +
— share this post to your story
— tag a creative soul you’d bring with you
Giveaway winner announced Saturday, May 23.
Registration officially opens May 24.
If you have any questions at all, feel free to DM either of us anytime. ✨

Don’t post much here anymore. But, some sessions just so speak to my heart. This is a session to document their very first zoo trip as a family of five. 🫶
Three little kids.Tiny hands pointing excitedly through the glass at the otters.Wide eyes searching for jaguars hiding in the shade.Waving at elephants from the slow moving train while the afternoon sun spilled across their faces.
And somewhere in the middle of all that movement…a sleepy 6 month old curled safely in mom’s arms,a twin brother running ahead as fast as he could,a twin sister stopping every few steps just to soak everything in.
The carousel music..Parents carrying babies..So much laughter.So much chaos.So much love quietly woven into the ordinary moments.
The beautiful thing is…years from now, they probably won’t remember every animal they saw.But they’ll remember how it felt.
The warmth of the sun.The excitement of the train ride.The comfort of holding mom and dad’s hands.The feeling of being together in this fleeting little season of life.
These are the kinds of sessions that feel less like photos…and more like scenes from a childhood memory. ✨
Honestly, places like the zoo make the most beautiful backdrop for family photos because kids get to simply be kids.Curious. Wild. Playful. Fully alive.
So grateful this sweet family reached out and trusted me to preserve this little chapter for them. These ordinary days become the most priceless memories later on. 🤍

Every mom has her own story—beautiful, powerful, and completely unique. 💛

It’s the biggest honor to capture these little moments between mothers and their kids. The way they hold each other, the quiet looks, the bursts of laughter—it’s all so full of love.

No two stories are the same, and that’s what makes this work so special. Different backgrounds, different journeys, but all overflowing with love, fierce and tender.

Today (and every day), I’m grateful to tell these stories through my lens. Happy Mother’s Day to all the amazing moms who trust me with these memories. Countless time behind my camera i was stood in awe and being deeply inspired by mothers, their strength, their quiet tenderness, and their love radiate from them, inside and out. Your love is the most poweful story of all.

With love,

Iris

May 11, 2025.